Quick-draw timing apparatus



Sept. 18, 1962 F. E. DEAN QUICK-DRAW TIMING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 20,1958 FIG I HOVAC INVENTOR.

FRANK E. DEAN BY PM-E/vr Aaau'r United States Patent 3,054,614QUICK-DRAW TIMING APPARATUS Frank E. Dean, Los Gatos, Calif. Filed Oct.20, 1958, Ser. No. 768,365 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-1) The present inventionrelates to timing mechanisms and more particularly, to apparatus fortiming a gun drawing and shooting operation. Various timing mechanisms,some partially and some completely automatic, have been proposed toaccurately indicate the time required for human responses and activitiesof many kinds. It is a general object of the present invention toprovide an apparatus particularly adapted for timing the period requiredfor drawing and shooting a gun in response to a given signal, suchactivity being commonly referred to as the quick-draw.

It is a feature of the invention to provide such a timing apparatushaving an accuracy to the nearest one-one hundredth of a second.

A further feature of the apparatus is its capability of automaticallyrecording the completion of a quick-draw operation only in response toan accurately directed shot.

A further feature relates to the arrangement of the apparatus so thatsuch completion of the quick-draw is responsive to the firing of a blankcartridge wherefore injury to the gunman or any onlookers is positivelypreeluded.

These and other objects and features of the invention will become moreapparent from a perusal of the following description of the accompanyingdrawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a timing apparatus embodying thepresent invention including the associated electrical circuit, and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a particular switch structurethat constitutes one portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

With initial reference to FIG. 1, the illustrated embodiment of theinvention includes an electric clock connected by a series circuit to a110 volt alternating current source, indicated at 12. The clock 10 canbe anyone of several commercially available units of high accuracyhaving indicia thereon for registering the passage of time to thenearest one-one hundredth of a second.

First and second switches 14 and 16 are included in the series circuitas well as a signaling device 18 in the form of an electric light whichis energized along with the electric clock 10 when both of the switches14, 16 are closed to complete the circuit. The first switch 14 is amanually operable one, while the second switch 16, as shown in detail inFIG. 2, constitutes a push-button switch normally held in open positionby a compressed spring 20. The push-button 22 itself projects upwardlyfrom the top of a vertically-adjustable standard 24 into the interior ofa rigid metal rim 26 also mounted on such standard.

In accordance with the present invention, a member can be placed withinthe rim to hold the push-button 22 down wherefore the switch 16 is movedinto closed position, but upon displacement of the member from itsposition within the rim 26, the spring 20 will cause the switch 16 toagain open. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 1, the mentioned memberconstitutes a balloon 28 which can, upon inflation, be placed within therim 26 to be encompassed and held thereby. In order to insure thatenough Fatented Sept. 18, 1962 force to urge the push-button 22downwardly to close the second switch 16 is derived, a small curvedmetal plate 30 is arranged for interposition between the balloon 28 andthe push button 22 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1. This plate 36 isconnected to the metal rim by a short length of chain 32 so that whendisplaced from its position within the rim 26, it will still remain inthe immediate vicinity for replacement on the push button 22 whenanother inflated balloon is inserted.

In operation of the described device, a balloon 28 is first inflated andthen placed within the rim 26 together with the curved plate 30 so thatthe push button switch 16 will be urged into closed position. The lightor other signalling device 18 is preferably placed in a positionphysically close to the standard 24 so that a gunman can readily see thelight 18 and the balloon 28 at the same time. An attendant then closesthe manual switch '14 to complete the series circuit, the push-buttonswitch 16 having already been .closed, which at once energizes theelectric clock 10 and the signal light 18. The gunman, then seeing thelight energized, draws his gun and aims it towards the balloon 28 andfires. Even though a blank cartridge is in the gun, the balloon 28 willbe broken if the gunman stands within 4 or 5 feet of the standard 24.When the balloon 28 breaks, the spring 20 moves the push button switch16 into open position which, in turn, opens the circuit to de-energizethe electric clock 10 as well as the signal light 18. The timeregistered on the face of the clock 10 then indicates to the nearestone-one hundredth of a second the period required between theenergization of the signal light 18 and the breaking of the balloon 28.Since the balloon 28 will be broken only if an accurate shot is fired,the device indicates not only the speed of the gunman, but his accuracyas well.

Various modifications and/ or alterations can obviously be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, and the foregoingdescription of one embodiment is accordingly to be considered purely asexemplary and not in a limiting sense. The actual scope of the inventionis to be indicated by reference to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for timing a gun drawing and shooting operation whichcomprises an electrical circuit including an electric clock, a signalingdevice, and a pair of switches connected in series, the first of saidswitches being manually-operable, the second switch being spring-biasedto a normally-open position, and means including an inflated balloon forholding said second switch in a closed position.

2. Apparatus for timing a gun drawing and shooting operation accordingto claim 1 wherein said switch holding means includes a rigid rimadapted to encompass said inflated balloon and said normally-open switchincludes a push-button projecting into the interior of said rim.

3. Apparatus for timing a gun drawing and shooting operation accordingto claim 2 which comprises a plate disposable within said rim between anencompassed balloon and the end of said switch push-button.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS601,626 Brooks Apr. 5, 1898 1,993,949 Welser Mar. 12, 1935 2,370,141Brunner Feb. 27, 1945 2,630,171 Allgaier Mar. 3, 1953

